Purpose

The purpose of our Inter-City Visit and Leadership Conference in Ann Arbor,
Michigan, was to convene leaders of the greater Chapel Hill and Carrboro community
to learn from the experiences of another successful community and to create
and strengthen relationships among participants that will help us successfully
address our community’s challenges and opportunities here in Orange
County.

Why Ann Arbor

The Community Leadership Collaboration
unanimously selected Ann Arbor because of its national reputation as a forward-thinking
community with many of the same attributes as our community, including a progressive
citizenry, a major research university with a medical center, a university
research park, a thriving downtown community, leadership in environmental
protection and green education, growing downtown housing, energy conservation
initiatives and strong workforce housing initiatives.

Key facts

When: We departed the morning of Sunday, September 14th
and returned the evening of Tuesday, September 16th.

What: Participants participated in engaging discussions,
as well as panels and speakers, on topics ranging from town and university
collaborations, economic development, marketing, arts and culture, human services,
and environmental stewardship. The trip also included a tour of the community,
downtown, and other relevant sites.

How Much: Conference registration fees were $1130 for a
double occupancy room and $1295 for a single occupancy room – this included
a connecting flight to Detroit via Baltimore. Registration fees included airfare,
ground transportation, meals, receptions and conference materials. Registrations
qualified for preferred pricing if received by July 14. Scholarship funds
were available

Who went

All members of our community are welcome and encouraged to participate. Here
is the list of registrants.